Further collaboration is the key to facilitate a viable cross-media, cross-platform and cross-device measurement proposition in the UK – and UKOM’s RFP process will see online audience measurement poised to enter an exciting new phase of development
Like Radiohead, the Stones, Oasis, and The Beach Boys, the better ad conferences often come in groups of five.
Recent events have been of consistently high quality and all involved thought-provoking and objective perspectives. ISBA’s annual Conference, IAB’s Leadership Summit, AOP Crunch and Mediatel Connected TV Summit (even bits of AdWeek, despite all the queueing, ticketing and shooing in, out and up and down stairs.) Throw in the Media Research Group’s ‘Tools of the Trade’ evening and a couple of intelligent debates at breakfast roundtables and I have been listening, questioning, learning and networking while clasping an orange juice, coffee, tea, wine or beer, and while munching on everything from pains au chocolat, through cookies and sausage rolls, to proper posh stuff on proper posh crackers.
The subject of measurement came up frequently at these conferences. Cross media measurement, or the lack of it, came up even more. Non-demographic audience segmentation and targeting too. Clients want de-duped figures, they find it shocking that they can’t currently plan TV, VOD and online video in the same space.
"Clients want de-duped figures, they find it shocking that they can’t currently plan TV, VOD and online video in the same space."
At UKOM we are all about measurement. UK Online Measurement. We are the industry body that sets and governs the UK standard for online audience measurement. We currently look at cross device measurement: PC, tablet and smartphone. UKOM endorsed audience data from Comscore covers web pages, mobile apps and video across the three types of device.
UKOM endorsed data forms the online element of PAMCo, the UK’s first true cross-platform JIC, measuring as it does the combined print and online audiences of what was once just printed newspapers and magazines. There’s one right in the eye for anyone who says cross media measurement can’t be done. It can and it has been.
“What about TV and VOD?” I have recently and repeatedly heard. Well, everyone knows BARB has been working hard, and continues to work hard, on Project Dovetail, which, when ready, should deliver cross device audience measurement for the UK broadcasters.
“Ah, but nobody except Google measures YouTube audiences.” Wrong. UKOM endorses Comscore’s Video Metrix Multi-Platform, giving an accurate measurement of UK audiences of YouTube and many of its subsidiary channels. How many videos, seen how often, by how many, for how long. Every month. Not just YouTube. Any online video content, if tagged correctly, can be measured in the UK – across PC, tablet and smartphone.
"UKOM’s remit is to measure UK audience consumption of all online content from across the globe. It is UKOM’s intention to deliver the most flexible, most useful and wholly valuable online measurement proposition to the entire UK market."
BARB has been clear with its continued focus on measuring UK broadcaster content only. UKOM’s remit is to measure UK audience consumption of all online content from across the globe. It is UKOM’s intention to deliver the most flexible, most useful and wholly valuable online measurement proposition to the entire UK market.
Following on from its industry consultation across 2018, UKOM issued, in January 2019, an open RFP for a new contract starting in January 2021. The RFP asks those submitting proposals to consider how the UK industry could see online measurement not only for what we see, but to also include content delivered to smart TVs and voice activated devices. The RFP extends the measurement request to include audiences of online audio. It also explores the capability to measure content that is downloaded online but consumed offline – videos and podcasts for example.
"UKOM has an ambition to further collaborate wherever and whenever necessary in order to facilitate a viable cross-media, cross-platform and cross-device measurement proposition in the UK."
UKOM also wants to see any RFP submission outline the potential for integration with other data sets across the industry. Not for us any thoughts of silo. UKOM has an ambition to further collaborate wherever and whenever necessary in order to facilitate a viable cross-media, cross-platform and cross-device measurement proposition in the UK.
In perhaps the most significant development for UKOM, the new contract will cover for the first time the verification of audiences of online advertising campaigns. Agencies and advertisers will be able to gauge through post-campaign analysis whether the audience they planned against was the audience successfully delivered.
UKOM will not be endorsing a single supplier for the measurement of ad viewability or brand safety, but the successful candidate for the measurement of online audience, which is free of fraudulent and non-human traffic, will have to be able to apply the same criteria to tagged advertising campaign verification.
"We understand that we must explore, where possible, the responsible evolution of audience measurement."
UKOM is committed to the continued importance of measurement of demographic audiences. We are so committed because there is an agreed establishment survey for the UK population by gender, age and social class. For those who shout that “demographics are dead!” I will explain that demos have only ever been used as a proxy for other audiences. Nobody plans, segments and understands audiences only through demographics. Or, if they do, they will fail. But at some stage in the process, for the discipline, rigour and objectivity to be shown that advertisers require, there has to be an independently agreed standard for audience segmentation, and the use of demographics does that job perfectly well.
The RFP does look, however, to explore the capacity to measure ‘interest based’ audiences. Perhaps using the IAB’s global content categories, or perhaps by some other recognised segmentation, we understand that we must explore, where possible, the responsible evolution of audience measurement.
UKOM is co-owned by the AOP, IAB and ISBA and has IPA representation on its board. Our Technical and Commercial boards have representatives from agencies, advertisers, publishers, broadcasters and platforms to ensure a true cross-industry representation in our decision-making.
We are all excited by what lies ahead; the challenges and opportunities alike.
In the short term, forgive me. I am looking forward to a break from the four Ps of conferences: pastries, PowerPoint, panels, and Prosecco.
This article first appeared on Mediatel, 3 April 2019
